Emporion

Emporion was a Greek city-state on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia, Spain. It was founded in 575 BC by Ionian Greek colonists, and, after the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great conquered Phocaea in 530 BC, Emporion experienced an influx of Phocaean refugees. In 218 BC, Emporion allied with the Roman Republic against Carthage during the Punic Wars. During Caesar's Civil War, Emporion sided with Pompey the Great against Julius Caesar, and after Pompey's defeat and murder in 48 BC, Emporion was stripped of its autonomy. In the Middle Ages, Emporion's exposed coastal position left it open to marauders and it was abandoned.